Large-scale solar energy installations affect wildlife habitats and animals in various ways, requiring careful siting, design and management to minimise welfare harms.
Solar energy development presents a nuanced wildlife welfare picture. Poorly sited installations on intact habitats convert or fragment ecological communities affecting the welfare of dependent animals. The lake effect kills birds and insects that land on panels mistaking them for water. Concentrated solar power towers incinerate birds in flight. However, well-managed photovoltaic installations can improve habitat for invertebrates, ground-nesting birds and small mammals compared to the intensive agriculture they often replace. Wildlife-sensitive siting, habitat management beneath panels and technology choices all significantly affect welfare outcomes. Solar energy expansion is environmentally necessary but should be accompanied by evidence-based wildlife mitigation standards.